Cool Invention!

Gravia: A lamp lit by the force of gravity

MUMBAI MIRROR BUREAU

A student in the US has created a floor lamp powered by gravity. Clay Moulton, who received his Master of Science in Architecture from Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture and Urban Studies in 2007, conceptualised the lamp as a part of his master’s thesis.
Illustrations of Gravia depict an acrylic column a little over four feet high. The entire column glows when activated.
To “turn on” the lamp, the user moves weights from the bottom to the top of the lamp. The slow fall of the weights causes a mechanism – via a ball screw – to spin a rotor. The rotor, in turn, generates electricity that powers the lamp.
The resulting energy powers 10 high-output LEDs that fire into the acrylic lens, creating a diffuse light. The operation is silent, cord free, and completely independent of electrical infrastructure.
The light output is estimated to be 600-800 lumens – roughly equal to a 40 watt incandescent bulb over a period of four hours.
“It’s more complicated than flipping a switch but can be an acceptable, even enjoyable routine, like winding a beautiful clock or making good coffee,” Moulton said.
He estimates that Gravia’s mechanisms will last more than 200 years, if used eight hours a day, everyday.
“The LEDs, which are generally considered long-life devices, become short-life components in comparison to the drive mechanisms,” he said.
The acrylic lens will also be altered by time, Moulton said.
“The LEDs produce a slightly blueish light. As the acrylic ages, it yellows through exposure to ultraviolet light,” he said. “The yellowing will tend to mitigate the unnatural blue hue of the LED light. Thus, Gravia will produce a more natural colour of light with age.”
He predicted that the acrylic will begin to yellow within 10 to 15 years when Gravia is used in a home’s interior room.
The lamp recently won second place in the Greener Gadgets Design Competition as part of the Greener Gadgets Conference in New York.